1. Field of the Disclosure
The present subject matter relates to supports for railway hoses, and particularly to support assemblies that are of a spring style and provide both stretch and energy absorption during use in suspending and supporting railway brake air hoses, typically from a hose glad hand to a railway coupler.
2. Description of Related Art
Suspension devices for air brake hoses of railway cars are known for suspending from railway car couplers. Such suspension devices help to safely maintain a hose in place during use and transport while allowing for limited movement of the air brake hose in order to facilitate connection of the air brake hose to the remainder of the air brake mechanism and line while permitting the air brake hose to move as needed in order to avoid undesired uncoupling while still restricting movement of the hose to an extent that uncoupling is accomplished only when desired. A typical function of such devices is to provide a secondary or safety support mechanism for the air brake hose.
Typically, hose support systems are provided on each end of a railway car to support the brake air hose above the rails while being connected to a coupler and to an end of the railway unit. Examples of prior hose support systems are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,521, some such supports including a flat (often fabric or polymeric) strap with a connector positioned in a railway car aperture and a different connector at the other end positioned in an aperture of the brake hose. This includes an adjustably positioned clasp which receives the tongue that adjustably extends through the clasp. This particular patent teaches the strap to be cloth of a substantially non-extensible material. By another approach, a hose strap for a railway car brake line is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,201,779. This hose strap is polymeric or rubber and is flexible and has a plurality of oblong through-holes. Metal clips attach to opposite ends of the strap and pass through the strap holes for connection of the hose support strap to the coupler head and to the glad hand of the brake hose. Another suspension strap for a railway brake air hose that utilizes clips for attachment in a similar manner is U.S. Pat. No. 8,276,853. The subject matter of the publications and patents referenced above and elsewhere herein are hereby incorporated by reference hereinto.